Cortana's Return
by butterfly7113
Summary: What happens when AI meets human life? Is it possible to keep a promise?


***Purely fanfiction- an after idea of halo 4***

It had been a year since chief and I parted. A year since I sacrificed myself so he could live on, to destroy the didact. A year, he won't even know im still in existence. _Open your eyes Cortana, open them. Look at the world left for you._ Rampancy, it caused me to lose the one thing I held dear to me. _Alarms? Why do I hear alarms going off?_ _I must be in some strange computer software._

"SOLDIERS RISE AND SHINE!" A voice yelled in the distance.

 _Soldiers? I am not a soldier for sure. I am a computer software designed to assist chief. Maybe he is in this place. Wake up Cortana, WAKE UP!_ I opened my eyes and rolled over. I was in a bedroom, this couldn't be possible. Last thing I remember was touching chief… and then disappearing into nothing. Someone's opening the door.

"Ah, I see you've recovered nicely, when you're ready meet us in the medic wing and we can figure out who you are." The man said walking away.

I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall. I was in a basic grey UNSC uniform. My skin was pale like a ghost, I touched my arms, they were real; my eyes electric blue. My hair was the same length but a light brown. I pulled my shirt up and saw scars on my body that looked like my holographic designs, at least a part of me still existed. I walked out of the room and down the hall. I saw a sign that said "Infinity Medic Ward", _the infinity! Chief might be onboard here, if only I could access._

I reached the door of the medic ward and walked in. There was a man and woman sitting at the table waiting for me. Two of the beds were occupied. One was an older looking woman who I couldn't figure out where I knew her, the other was covered. The people motioned me to sit with them. As I sat next to the woman the covered patient started to stir.

"He hasn't had any movement since we brought him aboard after the crash." The man said.

"What could be causing him to startle and wake now?" the woman asked.

"I don't know Miranda, but we can't focus on that right now." The man told her.

"Excuse me, can I go to my room now? I do not wish to lay in this bed anymore." The older looking lady spoke up.

"Yes Halsey you can leave." The woman motioned her.

 _Doctor Halsey, I remember her now, she was the woman that created me._ She walked past and stopped in front of me. She stared at me and grabbed my hands. She pulled my sleeves up and traced my scars. She let out a gasp and ran out of the room. I stared at the other two and shrugged my shoulders.

"Alright miss, what's the last thing you remember? You have severe scarring to your body and we'd like to figure out what exactly you were or what happened to you out there in space." The man asked.

"I don't remember. I was on this ship, the didact's ship and all I remember is being in the science lab and the ship exploding." I lied to them.

"That ship had a science lab? We could be missing a whole genetic code!" the woman gasped.

"Miranda calm down. Alright miss, we need to have a name to call you by." The man sad.

I thought for a second, I couldn't use Katherine. "Corta- um Courtney."

"Alright Miss Courtney, my name is Adam, we'll be the ones conducting an investigation to find out where your scars came from. If you remember anything else from the blast you let us know?" he questioned.

"Yes." I told him.

"Excellent, we'll need you to stay in here while we run some tests upstairs on some tissue samples. Feel free to rest if you need to, if he wakes up you press the alarm next to his bed." Miranda told me.

I nodded and they left the room. I walked over to the bed that was covered. The man under was still startling. I grabbed the clipboard hanging at the bottom of the bed, my heart dropped. _Last mission a failure. We found subject in critical condition on planet delta 686 near death. After loss of AI subject 117 must be on close watch._ I stared at the bed in front of me. I walked to the head of the bed and pulled back the blanket. It was master chief, armor and all.

"Still won't take off the armor, will you john?" I jokingly asked.

"Not in a million years, only one person I would have for, but they're gone. Please don't press that alarm Courtney." He spoke.

"I won't, but how do you know my name?" I questioned now in shock.

"I've been awake since Halsey asked to be excused. Were there any other survivors on the didact's ship? Any artificial intelligence or computer programs?" he asked in return.

"I was the only survivor, I am sorry John." I replied with a tear in my eye wishing I could tell him.

"Dammit. Wait… did you just call me John?" he asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"How do you know that name? It wasn't said in this room and it's not written on my charts." He spoke.

"I know you're name, because Cortana used to say it a lot on the ship. I heard every word you two spoke." I told him.

"How could you hear so much from a science lab?" he questioned with an angered tone.

"Take off your armor and I will tell you how I know." I said.

"Why should I take off my armor?" he asked.

"I know what you look like without it John." I spoke softly.

He stood still in the medic ward. The bed shook as he slid his legs over the side. He slowly stood up towering over me. He walked to the other side of the room where the contraption was to take off his suit. He stepped inside and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly and pressed a button. The machine zipped on and hummed to life rotating around him removing his armor. He stepped out of the machine walking passed me and sat back on the bed.

"My armor is off, now tell me." He demanded.

I stepped close and stood in front of him. I placed my hand on his face and ran it to his chest. He stopped my hand with his and looked up at me. I could feel him tense beneath my touch. His eyes were lost, hurt and angered.

"Tell me." He said with clenched teeth.

"If I tell you something you don't like?" I asked.

"I promise I won't hurt you, just tell me." He said.

I smiled a little. "Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep john."

"Why would you say that?!" he yelled at me. He pulled away from me.

"John, look." I demanded.

I stepped closer and lifted my shirt. He looked at my scars and stopped moving. He traced them with his hands and stared up at me. His eyes grew big and puzzled look struck his face.

"Where did you get these scars? They look just like…" he cut off when he heard a noise outside the doors. Miranda and Adam walked into the room.

"CHIEF?!" Miranda yelled.

"Where is the chief?" Adam asked.

"I am right here." John spoke.

"Your armor? What- how?" Miranda stuttered.

"It's over there. I needed a breather from it. I want to roam around the ship incognito. Get some peace of mind and clear my head." He said.

"I suppose that would be okay chief. I mean John. If you could take Miss Courtney with you and show her the ship it would be much appreciated." Adam told him.

"Will do, I'll take her down to the armory and get her fitted up for the next mission. If I'm going to babysit her, she's going to have to come with me to battle as well." He snapped in my direction.

"Whatever you say chief. Your suit will be ready for you in the morning upstairs." Adam said while walking away.

I followed chief out of the medical room into the long hallway. We walked quietly down the ship's hallways. We reached an elevator and stepped in. Doctor Halsey appeared and rushed in the elevator before the doors closed. She stood in the elevator and stared at me.

"Good evening Chief." She said.

"We aren't using that name on ship Halsey. I am out of my armor." John spoke.

"Understood, John. Good evening Courtney." She said with a grimace in her voice.

I smiled at her as the elevator came to a stop. John stepped off the elevator and Halsey stepped in front of me. She looked into my eyes shook her head and fell against the elevator.

"It's not possible!" she yelled as I stepped off while the doors closed.

"What's not possible?" John asked.

"I don't know, she seems to be very confused by my presence." I answered.

He shook his head and we continued walking down the hallway. We reached the doors to the armory and walked in. He led me to a chamber and motioned me to step in. I stepped into the chamber and stared at him.

"You need to strip your clothes and stand still." He said.

I nodded and removed the uniform.

"It's going to read your genetic code now for proper fitting of a suit." He spoke.

Suit customization for every Spartan and ODST soldier's armor. It protects from any allergens and irritants. The suit is injected with special formulas that coincide with the person genetic structure. The screen alarmed after the machine took a sample from my finger.

"This is strange, it says your genetic structure is currently in use. I didn't know Doctor Halsey had any children." He stared at me. "Is that why she is acting so strange around you?"

"Well I guess you could go with that reason. You're going to have to use me in the Spartan database, ODST armor will not work with my structure." I told him.

"Spartan armor is only designed for those of use with the genetic capability to not age or fatigue in battle." He snapped.

"Both of which I am capable of achieving." I responded. "Just run it on Spartan."

"Fine, but im telling you this machine will alarm again and reject your genetic code for a Spartan suit." He replied.

The machine snapped my finger again and ran a full scan around my body. It dropped a reader in front of my eye and scanned them. Another arm came down and took a laser reading of all my scars. The moment the arm ran over them they all started to glisten my original blue color. I looked up and John who seemed to be dazed.

"Why is this happening? Why is she everywhere I go?!" He screamed.

"What's wrong John?" I asked.

"I'm seeing her on you. I know it can't be real because no human's scars can glisten like that!" He yelled.

A few moments later Miranda and Adam emerged through the doors running.

"Oh thank god it's just you John." Adam spoke.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"An alarm went off in the medical ward that Halsey's code was in the machine. We thought she was trying to get an ODST suit for herself for some hectic reason." Miranda explained.

They all turned and stared at me. Miranda and Adam's jaws dropped. They gathered around the screen in front of the chamber. Miranda stood in front of the chamber and stared at my scars.

"What is this John?" she asked.

"You can see them too?" he questioned.

"Yes John, we both can see them." Adam chimed in.

The screen started beeping. "Genetic code indefinite match, would you like me to read the information found?" A man's voice asked.

"Yes Roland, tell us who this is." Adam said.

My eyes shot wide and I started to freak out. They couldn't know who I was not yet. "WAIT!" I yelled.

"Why should I wait?" Roland asked.

"I don't want to be in this chamber anymore, can I please put my uniform back on and come out?" I plead.

"Let her out, but she stays in full sight and does not get to touch the Spartan armor that's coming out until this is clarified. Roland, you may continue." Adam said.

They sat me in the chair outside the chamber and stared at my scars that were still glowing beneath my uniform. I looked up at John who had a worried look on his face. I shot my look to the floor and let myself sink in the chair.

"Alright folks, this is going to be one interesting day for you all, however it's really nice to be in the presence of a legend!" Roland hollered.

"What do you mean a legend Roland?" Miranda asked.

"I'm getting to that point, first I want to know the story from her. Then I'll tell you everything you want to know about her. If you would please put your hand on the bio reader." He spoke to me.

I placed my hand on the bio reader and looked at the people staring around me.

 _So you're the famous Cortana?_ I heard in my head.

 _How are you in my head?_ I thought.

 _Because all the parts left of your AI are still intact along with human parts._ Roland's voice echoed. _Now if you would please tell me what happened?_

 _When the ship exploded and chief left, I awoke in the librarian's chamber. She said she had an opportunity for me, but it might not work. It took them a year to get to the distress beacon she sent out in space._ I told him.

 _Her opportunity, was from the blast, the ability to convert you to a human cell?_ His voice asked.

 _Yes._ I answered and took my hand off the reader. The three stood staring intently at me.

"What good did that do Roland?" Adam asked.

"Well if you would have given me a minute, I was asking her some questions." He answered.

"You can't talk to us through that Roland, you know that right?" he questioned.

"You guys I can't, but her I can." He said.

They're eyes all shot at me.

"How?" Miranda asked.

"God you guys just don't give me any time to tell a story do you?" He laughed.

"Sorry Roland, just tell us what you know." John spoke.

"Alright, here comes the fun part. You might want to sit down for this one!" the moment he chimed the three of them pulled up chairs in front of mine. Eyes all deadlocked on me and Roland who was holographic in the center of us.

"So our, Courtney as you call her. Truly is not a Courtney at all. One year ago she met with the librarian who offered her a gift. The blast on the didact's ship offered her a great chance. She took the gift and the librarian threw her into space and sent us a distress beacon. One that took us a few months to get to her and all this time to bring her back to life, which was what the librarian knew was needed. This person that sits here in front of you, with her fancy blue glowing scars, did not start out as a person." He spoke.

All three looked at each other and back at me.

"What do you mean she did not start out as a person?" John asked.

"Well chief, you should know her better than any of us here. She knows you like the back of her hand, and she knows this ship better than I do. Shit she can access anything she wants on this ship with the touch of a bio reader. Don't let the commanders know that though, they'd think her rampancy was still active and lock her away." He laughed.

"Rampancy?" Miranda questioned.

"Her AI form went rampant, completely gone with the transformation to human form, so she's safe. She could be a great asset to this ship. She knows all the training tactics all the battle training. She's just as good as chief is in a Spartan armor and would stomp all the missions with him. On board ship she and I could find things you wouldn't dream of." He spoke.

"So she's like a god or something special like that? I'm so confused Roland would you please just tell us who she is?" Adam asked.

"Well, you all have already met her once. Chief I know you're dying to know who she is, and she's dying for you to know. Take a good look at her scars and her figure. That blue isn't going to stop shining, it's a reaction from the injection in the chamber. It brought out your AI side, which will give you all the benefits of an AI in a human body, without the problems of rampancy. Everyone, say hello to Cortana in human form." He said.

The room fell silent and John stared at me. I could see the pain in his eyes light like a fuse.

"Cortana? I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure." Halsey said from the back of the armory. "I noticed the scars in the medical ward."

"This explains why all our tests came up the way they did Adam." Miranda spoke softly.

"John, will you see that the Spartan armor fits her properly, we're going to go speak with Doctor Halsey and see what affects this is going to have on her." Adam told Chief.

They left through the heavy doors leaving the room silent. John stood up and stared at me. I stood in front of him and sighed.

"I wanted to tell you John, I just didn't have the time, I'm sorry." I said.

"Is it really you?" He asked.

"I think we both know the answer to that John." I spoke. "I have defied Gods and Demons. I am your shield, I am your sword. I know you John. Your past and your future."

He smiled slightly. "Would you still pick me?"

"Every time John." I told him.

"I kind of like the light up scars, means I can find you in the dark." He laughed dryly.

I laid my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me.

"I've always wanted to do this." We said in unison.

I felt his grip tighten around me. He kissed the top of my head and slightly pulled away. He stared down into my eyes looking deeply into them. I could feel his breath on my skin. A sensation I was not familiar with. He leaned down into me and kissed me. He kissed my neck and climbed off the shelf pulling me with him. He pulled me into his embrace and wrapped his arms around me. He hugged me tightly and then pulled away a little staring into my eyes.

"I've missed you Cortana." He said.

"I've missed you too John." I spoke softly.

A smile crossed his face. "I love you Cortana."

"I love you too John. We should probably try this armor on before they come looking for us?" I asked.

He laughed and pulled me towards the armor. He kissed me on the forehead and slipped the under armor over my head. I pulled the pants on and he took me to the machine. I stepped into the machine and stood there while it placed the armor on my body. I felt the armor click into place and the helmet was placed on. I stepped out of the machine and faced him.

"It's dark!" I yelled.

"That's because you have to activate the suit." He said while pressing something on the helmet.

The visor lit up and the room was brighter than before. Messages crossed my screen about vital signs and enemy warnings. A lift came up from the floor with chief's armor on it and a voice came over the speaker.

"Chief suit up, time to go. Distress call from majestic and crimson. We need a couple Spartans to save the day." Adam's voice sounded familiar.

"Yeah and for the love of god next time you guys get intimate with each other go somewhere we can't all see and somewhere I can't experience it…" Roland's voice chimed in.

"Roland!" Adam yelled.

"Sorry someone had to say it and I knew you weren't going to. Alright Spartans lets go its mission time. Let's go save these little girls- err I mean ODST!" He hollered.

Chief laughed and stood next to me in his Spartan suit. He hugged me one last time and we set off towards the pelicans. Commander Lasky was standing at the base of the pelican ramp to greet us.

"Great to see you on another mission Chief!" He said.

"It's good to serve with you Lasky." He replied.

"Good to be working with you again Cortana, we missed your wisdom." He told me.

"Hey, I'm plenty wise enough!" Roland yelled.

"Thank you Lasky, and sorry for stepping on your toes Roland." I snickered.

I followed Chief into the pelican and sat next to him. The doors closed and we set off into space towards the planet to save the two teams. Chief looked at me.

"It's good to have you back Cortana." He spoke.

"It's my pleasure chief, just remember there's TWO of us again, except I'm not tucked away in your helmet." I laughed.

We laughed together as we reached the edge of the planet. It was good to be on another mission with Chief. It was so nice to be able to feel him and touch him. This was the start of a great millennium together, saving the universe one planet at a time. Cortana out.


End file.
